I remember as a kid, how every Sunday before Memorial Day my dad polished his black boots, laid out his drill squad suit, and met with the local legion men to prepare for the big Memorial Day parade. The men rushed to get everything ready to give our little town a very special ceremony. I never once heard them complain or disagree. They just worked together to get the job done. I recall how proud my father felt to be marching in the parade. I admired my dad for marching in the parade. I never knew what Memorial Day was really about. Until recently, I thought it was the one day a year when everyone honored the men and women who had served in the military or who died in battle. I know now, that it is much, much more. Several years later I viewed the Veteran's Memorial Park in Long Prairie, MN. I have now come to realize the price my freedom has cost.
             On 1st Street and Central Avenue, on a cold, brisk, fall day, I had the opportunity to view one of the most phenomenal tributes to our veterans. It was the Veteran's Memorial Park in Long Prairie, MN. If ever a person should doubt the price our countrymen paid for their freedom, I suggest they visit this awesome display.
             I walked down the sidewalk running my hands along the black wrought-iron fence that surrounds the park. As I entered the park, a feeling of eeriness came upon me. Suddenly, it felt a lot colder than it really was. A bitter chill traveled along my spine. There was so much to see that my eyes had a hard time to focus on just one thing.
             Starting to the left of me was a white, concrete bandstand. A golden eagle was perched at attention on each side of the steps. The roof of the bandstand was black. It caught my attention, because like the sides of the steps, it too had a golden eagle on it. Except for this time, the eagle's wings were spread, as if ready to take off in flight. Moving along to the left, I felt the crus
             ...